Faculty of Fine Arts, CMU Congratulates Asst. Prof. Dr. Charlotte Hill and Research Team on Winning the International Academic Award 'Decolonising the Digital Award 2026' from IAMCR
News Body
The Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University, extends its warmest congratulations to Assistant Professor Dr. Charlotte Hill, a lecturer in the Media Arts and Design Department, and the joint research team, on the occasion of their academic paper being honored with an international award by the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).
The award-winning research paper, titled "Digital ID as surreptitious experimentation in the humanitarian-tech industry: an ethnography of a biometric pilot in a refugee camp in the Thailand-Myanmar border," is a collaborative effort between Goldsmiths, University of London (UK) and the Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University. The paper has officially been named the winner of the Decolonising the Digital Award 2026 by IAMCR.
The Collaborative Research Team Includes:- Professor Dr. Mirca Madianou – Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London
- Assistant Professor Dr. Charlotte Hill – Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University
- Dr. Hayso Thako – Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University
This research project was proudly funded and supported by The British Academy and Goldsmiths, University of London.
About the Research Paper: Abstract
"This paper focuses on a technological pilot involving a digital identity programme that was introduced in the hospital of a refugee camp along the Thailand-Myanmar border. Drawing on an 18-month long ethnographic study of refugees’ experiences with biometric systems, the article analyses the pilot as an example of ‘surreptitious experimentation’. Surreptitious experimentation is symptomatic of the wider commercialisation and digital infrastructuring of the humanitarian space which we make sense though the term ‘humanitarian-tech industry’. This is a mixed methods study involving semi-structured and group interviews, participatory art sessions and ethnography.
In total, we spoke with 174 refugees and 27 expert participants involved in the aid operations. The research found that the digital ID system was implemented despite local misgivings. The term ‘surreptitious’ illustrates the fact that the new system was not announced as a ‘pilot’, but rather simply rolled out to replace existing forms of patient registration. Because the pilot took place in the infrastructural background it remained hidden. The article documents the lack of local understanding and meaningful consent among refugees. The promise of ‘self-sovereign’ decentralised identity advocated by the pilot sponsors was never communicated to the local communities let alone ever realised, even when a need for data portability emerged. Instead, the article observes that the pilot introduced harms and amplified the asymmetries which already exist in humanitarian and medical humanitarian settings in particular. As an exemplar of surreptitious experimentation, the digital ID pilot reworked and revitalised the colonial logics of aid."
About IAMCR
The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) is a well-established global professional organization in the field of media and communication research. It promotes media and communication research worldwide, focusing on social, political, technological, policy, and cultural processes. Its members include individuals and institutions from over 100 countries across all continents, bringing together a rich variety of academic and professional expertise, as well as geographic and cultural backgrounds.
IAMCR members actively support and protect the interests of the media and communication research community regarding academic freedom of thought and expression, professional development, and the growth of media education and practice. The association also emphasizes the public role of the discipline and promotes the involvement of researchers in local, national, and global policy agendas.
References:
https://iamcr.org/awards/decolonising-digital2026-winners
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CViwzPURo/
